


Playing Favorites

by kitausuret



Category: Marvel (Comics), Marvel 616, Venom (Comics)
Genre: Andi asks for Life Advice, Fluff, Gen, Introspection, Late Night Rooftop Conversations, Mentor & Protégé, Venom Symbiote is not prepared or qualified for this
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-07
Updated: 2020-02-07
Packaged: 2021-02-28 01:28:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 686
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22595557
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kitausuret/pseuds/kitausuret
Summary: Andi Benton (and Mania) want to know:who is the Venom Symbiote's favourite? Eddie, or Flash?Its answer is:choosing to have its cake and eat it too.
Relationships: Background Eddie Brock/Flash Thompson/Venom Symbiote, Venom Symbiote & Andrea Benton
Comments: 4
Kudos: 19
Collections: SYMBRUARY





	Playing Favorites

**Author's Note:**

> For Symbruary! Prompt was for Days 2 & 3: Favourite Symbiote, Favourite Host.  
> I love Venom, and also I love Eddie and Flash equally. Don't make me choose, and don't make Venom choose!

“So, who’s your favourite?”

It made a noise like a sigh. “Andrea…”

“You sound like Eddie when you say it like that. Does that mean  _ he’s _ your favourite?”

“It does not. You know I am equally fond of them.”

She leaned back on her hands as he balanced precariously on the tall construction crane. The symbiote crouched beside her, here as backup for the young woman and her own partner. The night was quiet, though, probably due to the chilly weather - which of course didn’t bother those born of the cold in space (or at least the cold in the Arctic). 

“So if you had to choose to save one…” The symbiote shot her its best version of a glare and she put her hands up in surrender. “Okay, sorry! Too far!” Andi dangled her legs over the edge, watching the streets below. “Can you blame me for being curious, though? I mean, I only really knew you when you were with Flash, and then you were with Eddie and it felt a little bit like… well, a little bit like a betrayal.” Her amusement seemed to wane. Mania swept over her face, more out of protective instinct than necessity. 

The symbiote abandoned its shape momentarily to slip over to her other side, reforming in its usual bipedal look that mirrored both its light and its heart. “Your partner knows this perhaps better than you do, but I have had a number of hosts.” It settled beside her, its formed arm brushing against hers. “I would not consider it a matter of pride, but Eddie and Flash both have very different meanings to me.” 

“But wouldn’t it be easier to pick one? What if they didn’t like each other, then what would you do?”

“Why does it matter? They do love each other, and I them.”

“Don’t you get worried? What if-”

“What is prompting all this?”

Mania crossed her arms over her chest. “Nothing.” A pause, letting the silence hang over them. “...okay, I just-” She tapped her fingers against one arm. “I’m in college, you know? And what if- what if I  _ meet _ someone? But after losing my partner once… I don’t know if I could go through being split up again. But what if whoever I meet freaks out? How do I deal with that? How do  _ we _ deal with that?”

The symbiote tilted its head at her, thinking. This must have been why they had both requested it accompany them alone tonight, without Eddie or Flash. Though it still spent probably a majority of its time bonded to Eddie, it had since regained the ability to hold its own form for about three or so hours. And truly, it had missed mentoring both its younger “sibling” of sorts and Andrea. Even so, it had not quite expected  _ this _ conversation.

Was this what humans called “the talk”?

“Both of you will need to discuss what you desire. You may find, as I did with both Eddie and Flash, that you are each equally drawn to similar partners.” It lifted its shoulders in mimicry of a shrug. “But you are your own beings. Do not worry so on who is  _ best _ or who is the  _ favourite _ .” 

It thought back on the early days with Eddie, when they had started to bond in emotions other than anger. It thought of its growth with Flash, when they had taken to the cosmos to find themselves and each other. It thought of how they had argued bitterly at first, only to discover they had far more in common than they ever realized. 

It thought of how, once upon a time, it thought it may have indeed had to choose someday. And it thanked its stars it never really had. 

“You really do love them both, huh?” Some of Mania faded away to reveal Andrea smirking at her mentor’s partner. 

The symbiote mirrored the expression and put an arm over her shoulders in the way it had seen Flash do many times. “I do. And I count myself fortunate every day, that they love me just as well.”


End file.
